The number of deaths among the Moroccan community in Turkey, in the violent earthquake that hit the south of the country, has now reached nineteen, the Embassy of the Kingdom in Ankara reported on Saturday.Six new deaths were recorded, adding to the thirteen announced earlier, the diplomatic representation said.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale shook the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey on Monday, causing huge damage in the localities of “Gaziantep,” “Adana,” “Malatya,” “Diyarbakir,” “Sanliurfa” and “Osmaniye” in addition to the epicenter.

Within hours of this first strong earthquake, another earthquake struck north of the city of Gaziantep with almost the same intensity and close to the epicentre of the first earthquake, adding to the toll of the disaster.

Thousands of people were left homeless and over 46,000 people lost their lives as a result of the strong earthquake that also hit Syria.

The earthquake in Turkiye caused the destruction of over 264,000 apartments, and many people are still unaccounted for under the debris.

Out of the two countries hit by the fatal quake, data shows that Turkiye recorded the most deaths, totaling 40,642 people

The Turkish authorities declared an official mourning period of seven days and a state of emergency in the affected areas for three months

Read Also: Earthquake of 4.3 hits Al Hoceima province this morning

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Moncef Slaoui, Chief Advisor of Operation Warm Speed, to resign under the request of the new Biden administration according to undisclosed sources from CNBC.

It is not yet clear who is going to take the lead after Moncef Slaoui for the Biden team. Moncef’s contract includes 30 days’ notice prior to termination; thus, he is expected to leave by February 12^th.

On his part, Moncef Slaoui has expressed his previous will to step down after the clearance of two vaccines and two therapies for Covid-19 into the market which had been fulfilled last month with the clearance of Moderna’s vaccine.

Slaoui earned $1.000 for his position at Operation Warp Speed; however, he confirmed that he is planning to donate the amount to scientific research.

Moncef Slaoui from Moroccan origins has stirred a huge wave of appraisal within the Moroccan community. Moroccans all over the world felt proud when Moncef Slaoui took the lead in Operation Warp Speed and promised to find a vaccine for the Covid-19.

During his position at Operation Warp Speed, two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, have been authorized in the U.S. with 95% efficacy in preventing disease.

Johnson & Johnson promised pivotal results on its vaccine which is offering the potential for just one dose instead. The vaccine is expected within a couple of weeks. This vaccine development is considered the fastest one in history.

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The search engine “Google” celebrates the 65^th anniversary of Morocco’s independence. Google placed a picture of the Moroccan national flag, in the place of its logo.

When you click on the Moroccan flag, you run into information about Morocco and the national struggle for independence. You can also get videos on the history of Morocco and the most prominent stations of the national resistance.

This is not the first time that “Google” participates in the celebration of national holidays with Moroccans. Just like other countries, the American giant aims to show its interest in users from different countries of the world.

Google Maps: No more borders between Morocco and its Sahara.

Amidst the rapid changes Morocco witnesses these days. Google has taken this golden opportunity to show consolidation and recognition of Morocco’s Anniversary of the Independence Day.

Google has also shown a good sign of support by deleting the imaginary borders separating Morocco with its Sahara on Google Maps. A gesture full of interpretations for Moroccans and the international community.

The Moroccan Sahara has been the subject of huge debate world-wide through various false accusations. Lately, Separatist “Polisario” militia have taken a step further and blocked the road leading from Morocco to Mauritania through the Guerguerat crossing. A gesture of stubbornness and hopelessness. The imaginary separatist front has tried to push it a step and blocked the Guerguerat Crossing. Thus, blocking the movement of traffic and civilians.

Many countries have been impacted by this blockade. Mauritania’s economy has witnessed a crisis and a sharp rise in prices. Different Mauritanian activists have called for Mauritania to intervene and withdraw its previous recognition of separatist “Polisario” as this latter has led the country to famine and crisis.

Morocco, after a long period of patience and negotiation, has finally engaged the Royal Armed Forces to intervene peacefully in liberating Guerguerat crossing from Separatist “Polisario” Militia who have fled the area in fear.

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It is expected that Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, will a visit Morocco in the coming days. The visit will include Rabat and Tangiers.

According to an official statement from the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, the visit will, in addition to the Moroccan Kingdom, include the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan during the period from 16 to 24 November.

Regarding the details of her visit to Morocco, Royce will meet Moroccan government officials to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of education and culture. She will, also, attend the celebrations of the bicentenary of the establishment of the American Commission, which is the oldest American diplomatic building in the world and the only one of the United States outside its territory.

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Algeria puts itself to shame after dozens of Arab and Islamic countries declared their support for the Moroccan Sahara and for the intervention of the Royal Armed Forces to release the Guerguerat crossing from the separatist “Polisario” militia.

In support of steps taken by the Kingdom of Morocco in the buffer region of Guerguerat in the Moroccan Sahara the Organization for Muslim Cooperation, which comprises 57 nations, has declared that it would guarantee civil and commercial freedom of movement.

In all its efforts to protect its national interests, dignity, and stability, the Arab Parliament’s Chairman, Adel bin Abdel Rahman Al-Asoumi, has shown its unity and full stand with the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Gulf Countries were the first to announce their solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco and to reject the provocations of the separatist “Polisario” front, because they each expressed separate declarations of their utter solidarity with Morocco, including those from the Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

Implying the steps taken by the kingdom of Morocco to ensure a natural and unrestricted movement of goods and individuals in the Guerguerat region, the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council on the Gulf Arab States expressed the support of the GCC.

In all the measures taken to protect their national interests, territorial integrity, and defense against separatist Polisario’s maneuvers, Jordan and Yemen have announced their full stand with Morocco.

Egypt has requested that the parties concerned, by referring to the Polisario blocking the Guerguerat crossing, exercise restraint and comply with the resolutions of the Security Council, and ceasefire, and avoid any provocative steps and acts that damage economic interests and trade in this area.

The African Union, which used to be pro-polisario before the return of Morocco to the Union, stood neutral with developments in the conflict in Sahara; an unprecedented change in views that used to support the claims of Algeria and South Africa.

The President of the Committee of the African Union expressed in a declaration his concern following the deterioration in the Sahara, particularly in the buffer zone of Guerguerat and threats linked to a ceasefire violation.

Moussa Faki, Chairman of the African Commission, reiterated Morocco’s strong view that the solution to this war cannot go beyond the UN’s structure, amid pressure from Algeria and South Africa for the African Union to be major parties to settle the conflict in the Sahara.

This was accomplished by the declaration by the African Union that it was ready to ‘strengthen the United Nations’ effort to find a fair and appropriate diplomatic settlement for the parties to this dispute.’

Algeria alone condemned the Moroccan interference with the continued Neutrality of the Mauritanian Position, which some consider being nonsensical after all the harm done to the economy of Nouakchott with this Arab and Islamic support for the Moroccan Sahara and the release of the Guerguerat Crossing.

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Chelsea Moroccan international winger Hakim Ziyech starred in an away win at Burnley.

Hakim opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 27th minute of Saturday’s Premier League match against Burnley.

Ziyech became the first Chelsea player to score on his first two starts for the club in all competitions since Diego Costa.

This goal followed Ziyech’s strike against Krasnodar last Wednesday in his first start for the team. The player scored in the 79th minute to give Chelsea their third goal in a 4-0 win.

The Moroccan winger became the third African player, after Dame N’Doye and Mohamed Salah, to score and assist on his first Premier League start.

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Moroccan Minister of foreign affairs and African cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad Nasser Bourita said today in a press release that the UN Resolution 2548, adopted by the Security Council on October 30^th,2020 related to the question of the Moroccan Sahara, comes with a triple message: a message of clarity, firmness and consistency.

FM Bourita explained that the resolution clearly defines the real parties of this regional dispute, pointing out the role of Algeria. The latter was cited no less than 5 times, while this country was not mentioned at all in the resolutions prior to 2017. Thus, The Security Council calls on Algeria to assume its role and its political, diplomatic, military and humanitarian involvement in this regional dispute, for there can be no possible political process without the effective and constructive involvement of this country. The resolution also clearly implies that any solution which is not pragmatic, not realistic nor achievable and is therefore to be discarded.

The minister also said that this resolution was very clear on the political process that should only be based on round tables of negotiation, with the participation of all the parties concerned, Algeria particularly.

The Security Council’s resolution, adds the press release, was firm in underlining the humanitarian responsibility of Algeria, which has a duty to comply with its international obligations. Thus, the resolution calls on Algeria, “again, to reconsider the registration of refugees in Tindouf camps.”

Bourita also shed light on the consistency of the resolution which “preserves the achievements of Morocco”, namely the Moroccan autonomy initiative, the parameters of realism, pragmatism and compromise, which characterize it, and which is supported by many countries including permanent members of security council.

The minister emphasized that the security council did not give up to the political blackmail, banditry and harassment of the UN secretariat by the Polisario, and that the resolution definitively confirms the mandate of MINURSO, whose presence is in no way linked to a “hypothetical referendum” which is a rejected option by the Security Council.

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A recent boycott on French Products resulted in the withdrawal of these products from supermarkets all over the Arab/Muslim world. This action was a retaliation against President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements against Islam.

France suffered considerably a while ago from Moroccans’ boycott against some of its companies like “Centrale Laitière”. A similar unofficial social media campaign is ongoing these days against French companies not just in Morocco but all over the world.

On a recent statement, Macron said that the government was never behind those caricatures and that he understands Muslims’ feelings towards this issue. This recent statement contradicts what he said before regarding the French teacher’s death by his student.

Macron added that his statements were misunderstood and he also tried to clarify that what he said didn’t mean that he advocates those caricatures or whatever they represent.

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